rains lashes Chennai city ! -

Collectibles dealer Charlie Babbitt is in the middle of importing four grey market Lamborghinis to Los Angeles for resale. He needs to deliver the cars to impatient buyers who have already made down payments in order to repay the loan he took out to buy them, .. .. .. .. 

மழை உலகிற்க்கு மிக அவசியம்.  செந்நாப்போதார் தம் திருக்குறளில் 'வான் சிறப்பு' என ஒரு அதிகாரமே இதற்கு அளித்துள்ளார். தடிந்தெழிலி என்ன ஒரு அற்புதமான சொல்லாடல் !! எழிலி என்றால் மேகம். தடித்து என்பதற்குத் திரளுதல், மின்னல் என இரு பொருட்களையும்  கொள்ளலாம்.   திரண்டெழுந்த மின்னலடிக்கிற மேகம் என்று பொருளாகிறது இந்த சொல்.  “நல்குதல்” எனில் பெருங்கொடை. “தடிந்தெழிலி” யால் தான் கடலில் நீர் கொண்டு சேர்க்கும் பெருங்கொடையாகிய பெருமழையைத் தரமுடியும்.  இங்கே அவர்தம் குறள் ஒன்று :

நெடுங்கடலும் தன்நீர்மை குன்றும் தடிந்தெழிலி

தான்நல்கா தாகி விடின்.

மேகம் கடலிலிருந்து நீரைக் கொண்டு அதனிடத்திலே பெய்யாமல் விடுமானால், பெரிய கடலும் தன் வளம் குன்றிப் போகும்.  பரிமேலழகர் உரை:   மிக பெரிய அளவிட இயலாத அளவு அகன்ற கடலும் தன் இயல்பு குறையும்; எழிலி தான் தடிந்து நல்காது ஆகி விடின் - மேகம் தான் அதனைக் குறைத்து அதன்கண் பெய்யாது விடுமாயின்.  உலகில் உயிரிகளுக்கு, பயிர்களுக்கு, மனிதனுக்கு மட்டுமல்ல - கடலுக்கும் மழை அவசியம். அத்தியாவசியம். 

Earth is truly unique in its abundance of water. Water is necessary to sustaining life on Earth, and helps tie together the Earth's lands, oceans, and atmosphere into an integrated system. Precipitation, evaporation, freezing and melting and condensation are all part of the hydrological cycle - a never-ending global process of water circulation from clouds to land, to the ocean, and back to the clouds. This cycling of water is intimately linked with energy exchanges among the atmosphere, ocean, and land that determine the Earth's climate and cause much of natural climate variability.   "Water is at the heart of both the causes and effects of climate change." 

Rain is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then become heavy enough to fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle. A monsoon often brings about thoughts of torrential rains, similar to a hurricane or typhoon. But there is a difference: a monsoon is not a single storm; rather, it is a seasonal wind shift over a region. The shift may cause heavy rains in the summer, but at other times, it may cause a dry spell. 

Most of that is Science -  predicting them too can be scientific.  In recent past, many weather bloggers have mushroomed and many hail them too.  While their success is applauded, whether they are accurate and what is their % of correct prediction – not many care to know.  Today, the month of December almost coming to a close, mid-Margazhi, Chennaites experienced very heavy rain as the deluge marooned them.

 

One of the popular weather bloggers tweeted :   Apologies to everyone for not able to pick up this high intensity rains today. No #Weather models picked. Moderate to heavy spell of #Rains to continue for the next couple of hours at least over #Chennai and surrounding. It's better to stay wherever you are.   

The IMD official report read :  the  channel (0.65µm) lies in the visible region (0.4µm - 0.7µm) of the electromagnetic spectrum which can be seen with naked eye. Hence this channel is known as the Visible channel. The incoming solar radiation in this channel is reflected by Clouds and Ground. The amount of reflection depends on the type of reflective surface. Visible imagery is very useful for distinguishing clouds, land, and sea/ocean.   

Whichever side you look at it – there is another angle – rains lash Mumbai, rains lash Bengaluru, rains lash Delhi – but when it rains heavily in Chennai, life crèeches to a halt.  It rained heavily or rather very heavily in most parts of the city today – this Thursday, mostly from mid-noon leading to heavy waterlogging, traffic snarls, vehicles stopping and transport system in disarray.   As per the rainfall data released by the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), MRC Nagar (Chennai dist) recorded 13 cm of rainfall while Nungambakkam received 12 cm. YMCA Nandanam recorded 8 cm, Meenambakkam 5 cm, and ACS College 5 cm.  Triplicane, aka Marine too might have received more than 10 cms (not backed by any official data!)  

For the next 48 hours, the RMC has predicted light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms in some areas in Chennai and its neighbourhood. The sky condition is likely to be partly cloudy and the maximum and minimum temperature is likely to be around 31°C and 24°C respectively.  In some places, there is no current, people (office-goers) experienced great difficulty in returning home !!  

Rain Man released in 1988 directed by Barry Levinson is a classy film featuring Dustin Hoffman.    It tells the story of abrasive, selfish young wheeler-dealer Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed virtually all of his multimillion dollar estate to his other son, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), an autistic savant, of whose existence Charlie was unaware. Charlie is left with only his father's beloved vintage car and rosebushes. Rain Man premiered at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Bear, the festival's highest prize.  It is the  only film to win both Golden Bear and Academy Award for Best Picture. 

With regards – a rain affected Chennaite
S. Sampathkumar
30.12.2021.

 

Cricket Q on double century in Ranji Finals for Holkar - the history behind !!

R Balasundaram (Bala Sir) would require no introduction for Insurers and insuring public – daily he intrigues with smart Qs on Cricket in FB – more than the answers, one perhaps need to dig and enjoy the wealth of info that is hidden ! 

Today’s Q looks innocently simple and straight forward :  -  “With over 5000 runs in Test cricket and a batting average of 50, this batsman played for the erstwhile domestic powerhouse, Holkar in the Ranji Trophy. What is more he scored a double century in a  Ranji final too. Identify this batsman !” – would you like to give it a try !!

Today, it is already answered – the answer takes to a timeless Ranji finals in Mar 1945 when Bombay making 462 & 764 beat Holkar 360 & 492 !  - now comes the twist, the answer is far away from obvious !  The list of double century makers in the finals of Ranji trophy history includes :  Sunil Gavaskar, CK Nayudu, Ajit Wadekar, Rahul Dravid, Gundappa Viswanath, Vijay Hazare, Vijay Merchant, Ashok Mankad are  in that elite list – one immediately thought of BB Nimbalkar,  who is often the Cricket Q for the feat of scoring 443 not out for Maharashtra against Kathiawar in a Ranji Trophy match at Pune in Dec 1948.

 

The player who is the answer was so famous that he was the Brylcreem boy of yesteryears.  He was a breathtakingly talented batter, renowned for the latest of sweeps, who had all the cavalier abandon and audacity of youth, a fine fielder and a dangerous, unorthodox left-arm spinner. He also made the fastest triple-century in first-class history;  excelled at football - capped 11 times! 

Before that some history of Holkar for which team the legend played !! – we did not read anything in our history books about Holkar dynasty.  Malhar Rao Holkar (1693 – 1766)  was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire.    One of the foremost commanders of the Maratha Empire (1760), he participated in the great victory in the Battle of Delhi (1737), and the defeat of the Nizam in the Battle of Bhopal. He was also part of the campaign that wrested Vasai from the Portuguese in 1739.  From 1748 onwards, Malhar Rao Holkar's position in Malwa became firm and secure.

 

The Holkar dynasty was a Hindu Maratha royal house in India. The Holkars ruled as Maratha Rajas, and later as Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Maratha Empire until 1818. Later, their kingdom became a princely state under the protectorate of British India. The dynasty was founded by  Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire in 1721 – the head was known as Holkar Maharaja.  The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company (EIC) and the Hindu Maratha Empire.   It began with an invasion of the Hindu Maratha territory by British East India Company troops, the largest such British controlled force massed in India. The troops were led by the Governor General Hastings  supported by a force under General Thomas Hislop.  The Peshwa was eventually captured and placed on a small estate at Bithur, near Kanpur. 

Getting back to the Cricket Q – answer to Bala is ‘Denis Compton’ – yes the famous Compton who excelled for England.  Denis Charles Scott Compton CBE (1918 – 1997) played in 78 Test matches for England  and spent his  cricket career with Middlesex. He was also an accomplished footballer, who played most of his football career at Arsenal. A right-handed batsman and left-arm unorthodox spin bowler, Compton is regularly credited as one of England's most remarkable batsmen. Stand at Oval and at Lord’s have been named after him.    

Compton was born and brought up in what was then the urban district of Hendon, which later became part of Greater London;  By the late 1930s, Compton was one of England's finest batsmen, and remained at the top of his profession for some twenty years.  Compton earned his first England cap against New Zealand in 1937. At 19 years and 83 days, he remains the third youngest England debutant ever.  He scored his first Test century aged just 20 years and 19 days in 1938 against Don Bradman's touring Australians.  This broke the record, set by J.W.Hearne in 1911, for the youngest Test century by an England batsman, and remains the record to this day.  

 

As with many other sportsmen of his generation, he lost some of his best years to the Second World War, during which he served in the army in India. He was posted at Mhow, Central India. He was granted permission to play for the Holkar team in the Ranji Trophy.  He played against his hero Keith Miller in the match at Calcutta between the Australian Services team and East Zone. Against Bradman's Invincibles in 1948, Compton was England's standout performer in a losing cause.  On the MCC tour of South Africa 1948–49 he scored 300 against North-Eastern Transvaal in just a minute over three hours. He toured Australia for 1950–51 Ashes series as vice-captain, the first professional in the 20th century to be awarded the position, but had a dismal tour because of a recurring knee problem caused by an old football injury.  

 

Interesting to know that some foreign players too have played in our National tournament – the Ranji trophy.  

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
29.12.2021
Compton pica ck : Historic Cricket Pictures - @PictureSporting
  

Covid 19 - inept handling by some States !!

Though there reportedly were cases of Corona (Covid 19) in year 2019 itself, in Mar 2020, we heard it more often and by 24^th Mar 2020, India was under lockdown. 

2021 dawned with lot of hopes but in between the cases spurted and there was 2^nd wave doing more damage ! – as we wait for 2022 to be born, there are threats and fears.  According to some reports, India may see a spurt in the Covid-19 growth rate within days and head into an intense but short-lived virus wave as the highly-infectious omicron variant moves through the crowded nation of almost 1.4 billion. 

Omicron cases reportedly a very high in Europe and USA  and in many parts of the Universe, our Nation with an estimated population  of  1,326,093,247 too faces trouble.  At the hinterland, there are reports that Beijing has ordered roads, buildings and open spaces to be disinfected in the Chinese city of Xian as it upgraded lockdown restrictions to their 'strictest level' . Xian's case load - 150 on Sunday versus 155 a day earlier - remains tiny compared with many clusters overseas, but Beijing has moved rapidly to impose strict curbs, ordering all residents to stay at home for all but essential travel last Thursday. The city's 13 million residents were given just a few hours' notice on Sunday afternoon that a 'full-scale' deep clean would start at 6pm with pictures showing trucks cannoning a fog of disinfectant as they toured the streets, while workers in full PPE sprayed chemicals on buildings and in subway stations.  

In year 2020, there were concerted attempts to discredit the Central Govt and many State Govts on the way they handled Covid.  A state bigger and has more population than Pakistan, the State of UP and its CM Sri Yogi Adityanath were targeted by media, who in the same breathe lauded Kerala State.  In  2020 Kerala received applause for its innovative approaches in fighting the pandemic!!, the next year exposed the loopholes in the system when the second Covid wave hit the state. The state experienced most problems seen in others states due to the exponential increase in cases. 

As the caseload began to rise, the government roped in private hospitals, but allegations of overcharging began to surface. With the high court intervening, the government had to cap the rates for room, consumables and even tests. In addition, complaints about underreporting of Covid deaths, TPR manipulation and inadequate testing continued to mount in the so called model State of Kerala. Further, the state’s vaccination drive has not been exceptional and it is yet to achieve 100% first dose vaccination coverage.  The state that all through 2020 boasted of having the country’s lowest case fatality rate, is now second only to Maharashtra in the number of deaths, once it started adding backlog of unreported Covid fatalities. 

In the second wave, cases peaked with the rest of India but there was no real decline and the state remained stuck on a long plateau, indicating the presence of infection in the society. “In 2021, for the first time, Kerala model of healthcare was challenged. We failed to control the rapid spread of the Delta variant,” said Dr Jayakrishnan A V, chairman of IMA’s committee on Covid vaccines and vaccination strategy. As a result, Kerala remained in a lockdown mode for a prolonged period of time, leading to business closures and job losses, and there has been a string of suicides due to soaring unemployment and crippling debt. The uncertainty, psychiatrist Dr CJ John said, has led to increased stress and depression in people.  “Now, there is no chaotic uncertainty, be it in the case of treatment, prognosis or risk factors,” said Dr G S Vijayakrishnan, president of KGMOA.  

To conclude on a positive ntoe, India has cleared two more covid vaccines and one pill today. The two latest vaccines approved by drug regulator CDSCO are Corbevax and Covovax. The anti-viral drug Molnupiravir can be used only in an emergency, informed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.  The subject Expert committee recommended granting restricted emergency use approval to the drug Molnupiravir for treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 and who have high risk of progression of the disease. With this approval, the number of Covid vaccines which have received emergency use authorisation in the country has increased to eight. 

Stay safe, don’t venture out – unless essential, wear mask, keep social distancing, clean / sanitise your hands and wash them with soap water often. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
28^th Dec 2021.
 
Biblio:
1: Sources: Wikipedia, Johns Hopkins University, Our World in Data : https://news.google.com/covid19/
2. https://www.indiacensus.net/
3. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/covid-19-fight-in-kerala-from-alpha-to-beta/articleshow/88535957.cms
 

  

England loses Ashes in 12 days !! - nosedives to an innings defeat against total of 267 !!

Ashes is over – it is firmly Aussies .. .. !  the spectre of Covid-19 continued to loom over the Ashes after the number of positive cases in England’s touring party rose from four to six during the third Test in Melbourne. A round of PCR tests for players on both sides came back all clear before the start of the third day, allowing England to resume on 31 for four in their second innings, 51 runs behind and battling to prevent Australia claiming an unassailable 3-0 lead.  However, the emergence of two additional cases in the England group – up from four on day two and now featuring three coaches and three family members – suggests a spread is occurring.”  

Back home, Kolkatta Prince Sourav Ganguly has tested positive for Covid-19, and has been admitted to Kolkata's Woodlands Hospital. He had a mild fever on Sunday, and was tested for the virus soon after. Following the emergence of a positive report, on Monday evening, he checked into the hospital at night. It has been learnt from family sources that while there is no cause for alarm and that his condition is stable, 49-year-old Ganguly was advised by medical experts to avoid isolating at home and, instead, get admitted to the hospital, possibly because of some pre-existing health conditions. According to a PTI report, he has been administered both doses of the vaccine against Covid-19.

As Covid allowed play, down-under,  it was all over on third morning itself – the  coup de grâce came at 11.49am on the third morning, less than half way through the scheduled series, when Cameron Green pegged back Jimmy Anderson’s off-stump to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead. England were all out for a meagre 68 in just 27.4 overs, having somehow conspired to lose by an innings and 14 runs in a match where their opponents had stuck just 267 on the board.

This morning at Melbourne, after the Covid threat, Joe Root didn’t walk out   – he sprinted. The England captain charged ahead of teammate Ben Stokes and practised his forward defence right next to the Australian players as they approached the centre square. Stokes was calmer, taking his time as he waltzed towards the middle.   England’s last five wickets fell for just eight runs. Nothing of that mattered as  Root’s men were bowled out for 68, the side’s lowest total on Australian soil since 1904.

The Aussies needed just 12 days to retain the urn – England had spent more time isolating in hotel quarantine than it took for them to lose the Ashes.  England had lost 4/15 the previous evening, and the visitors needed another 51 runs to make the Aussies bat again. Australia have their eyes set on world domination after storming to Ashes glory with a crushing innings victory over a shell-shocked England in the Boxing Day Test. Not content with the urn remaining on these shores until 2023, skipper Pat Cummins also wants to get his hands on the World Test Championship trophy and re-establish Australia as the game’s pre-eminent team - as they were during his childhood.

Besides various presentation ceremonies, there was – ‘Johnny Mullagh Medal’ presented to the Player of the Match at the end of the Boxing Day Test - it  not only signifies the contribution of Indigenous Australians to the national game. At a time when issues of racial inequality have been given fresh impetus by the Black Lives Matter movement, last year's decision to create the Mullagh Medal in recognition of the captain of the all-Indigenous side to England in 1868 that was the first Australian side of any kind to tour internationally, cannot obscure the fact that the chances of any Indigenous players vying for it was slim. Not to be!

Unaarrimin, known as Johnny Mullagh, was part of the famous Australian Aborigine team which toured England in 1868, playing an eyebrow-raising total of 47 matches. A talented allrounder, Unaarrimin hit 1698 runs at an average of 23 and took 245 wickets at only 10 apiece. In 1869-70 he was appointed as a professional by the Melbourne Club but he returned home to Harrow (Victoria) after six games. In 1878-79 he appeared for Victoria against an England XI, scoring 4 and 36 - the latter was this side's top score and the 9,000 spectators collected £50 for him. He was a fierce advocate of Aboriginal rights, and refused to live on one of the state-controlled reserves. He lived in a rabbitter's shack, continuing to play cricket until a few months before his death in 1891, the day after his 50th birthday.

England lost, lost very badly – ignominy reaching new nadir with  their 68 all-out being the lowest Ashes total in Australia since 1936 and England's lowest total in Australia since 1904.  The scorecard reads :  Australia 267 (Harris 76, Anderson 4-33) beat England 185 (Root 50, Cummins 3-36, Lyon 3-36) and 68 (Boland 6-7, Starc 3-29) by an innings and 14 runs.. .. one would not have missed out reading - Scott Boland's six-wicket haul on his Test debut allowed Australia to wrap up the Ashes 3-0, by lunch on the third day at the MCG.

Australia's quicks continued their demolition job on England, with Boland adding to his two wickets from three balls during a devastating final hour on the second day, with four more on the third morning to seal an innings victory as the hosts retained the urn. Boland took six wickets in 21 balls in all while Mitchell Starc, who had a big hand in reducing England to 31 for 4 in a cauldron-like atmosphere on day two, added the wicket of Ben Stokes inside the first 25 minutes of the resumption, to end with 3 for 29.

The short day 3  belonged to Boland, who was selected as an MCG specialist after his performances for Victoria and who became the fourth Indigenous Australian to play Test cricket. After taking 1 for 48 in England's first innings, he was simply unplayable for a side with its confidence beaten and its batting in disarray. In a historic moment, Boland won the Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match.  Boland received a standing ovation when he was presented with the Johnny Mullagh medal as Player of the Match for the Boxing Day Test. The significance wasn't lost on anyone.  Boland has a direct link to Mullagh, having been part of an Indigenous team that toured England in 2018 to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of the first tour. After receiving the commemorative medal which is crafted from an original belt buckle from that tour, Boland spoke of what it meant to him.

A great moment for Boland, as England’s shambolic performance left them humiliated !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
28^th Dec 2021. 

KL Rahul hits a fine century - Himachal Pradesh lifts Vijay Hazare trophy 2021

In many away tours, Indians would start disastrously – the first match, more specifically, day 1 – first session, India would struggle to get to grips ! – at Centurion, today ended with Indians bats raised high !! 

1.   “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – is one of the quotes of a Crusader considered by many as ‘apostle of peace’.

2.    Can you find out what brackets together – Janardhan Navle, Dilawar Hussain,  Dattaram Hindlekar, Khershed Meherhomji, Jenni Irani .. ..

3.    Ever heard of Shubham Arora earlier – the hero of Indian domestic tourney this day ? 

At Centurion today, India picked five specialist batters; the  bowling attack is three fast bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, a spinner in R Ashwin and  "allrounder" in Shardul Thakur. One of the main batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara's lean run in Tests continued with his second duck in his last three innings. It's been a while since Pujara has scored a hundred in Tests, but his form has dipped sharply.

 

At stumps, India are in a good position of 272/3 as reliable KL Rahul got to his seventh Test hundred,  after getting struck in 90s.  May not  be the fluent flowing innings, but a century abroad, that too on day 1 is most welcome. The bearded Rahul is only the second India opener to score a century in South Africa. With five now, he moves past Virender Sehwag for most centuries outside Asia for an India opener. Only Sunil Gavaskar is ahead of him. 

It appeared that it was not a fast and bouncy wicket – sort of uncharacteristically flat and South African attack looked pedestrian, neither pacy, nor threatening.  KL Rahul and  Mayank Agarwal –  who have played many innings together stitched  together India’s first century opening stand in South Africa since 2010 before Rahul added two stands worth 82 each with Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane.  Rahuls unbeaten on 122; with him is Ajinkya Rahane with 40; Virat Kohli made 35, Pujara did not trouble the scorer out for a first ball duck, while Mayank made a well compiled 60.  

Ans to the Qs at the start :

1.    Words of Dalai Lama

2.    Indian test wicket-keepers

3.    Shubham Arora, 24,  is today’s player of the match in Vijay Hazare trophy.  He is a wicket-keeper, opening batsman !

Even as you count the names of Rishab Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Kishan, Sanju Samson, K Srikar Barath, Narayan Jegadesan among many others as wicket-keeper batsmen, there are some unheralded names too and for sure, Shubham Arora, now stands at top of such list !! 

For long it was total dominance of Bombay in the Ranji, next was Karnataka, Delhi – and then teams like Tamil Nadu, Calcutta and some more .. .. all that has changed now.  The Vijay Hazare Trophy,  is  the Ranji One-Day Trophy,  started in 2002-03 as a limited-overs cricket domestic competition involving state teams from the Ranji Trophy plates. It is named after the legendary Indian cricketer Vijay Hazare. 

Tamil Nadu is the most successful team having won the trophy 5 times, but today there were beaten by . Himachal Pradesh. 

Back in 2015 - At the picturesque Dharamsala, 200 was the target with that big six off the last ball by Dhoni – India lost as SA chased the target successfully.  Dharamsala is a city and a municipal council in Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. It is the district headquarters. It was formerly known as Bhagsu. From the earliest times until the British Raj, Dharamshala and its surrounding area was ruled by the Katoch Dynasty of Kangra. The Katoch Dynasty is said to be the oldest serving Royal Family in the world.  The indigenous people of the Dharamshala area are the Gaddis, a predominantly Hindu group –Gaddis lost their seasonal pastures and farmland when the British and the Gurkhas arrived to settle. The Tibetan settlement of Dharamshala began in 1959, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet and the Prime Minister of India allowed him and his followers to settle in McLeodGanj (in Upper Dharmshala), a former colonial British summer picnic spot. There they established the "government-in-exile" in 1960 and the Namgyal Monastery. 

The Himachal Pradesh cricket team competed in the Ranji Trophy first in  1985–86 season. They lost all five of their matches in both 1985–86 and 1987–88 seasons by an innings.  They won for the first time when they beat Services by one wicket in 1990–91. Domestic Cricket history is set for many a changes.  Today Himachal Pradesh registered themselves with their first trophy win.  The score card reads : 

Himachal Pradesh 299 for 4 (Arora 136*, Amit 74, Dhawan 42*, Aparajith 1-45, Washington 1-47) beat Tamil Nadu 314 (Karthik 116, Indrajith 80, Shahrukh 42, Jaswal 4-59, Dhawan 3-62) by 11 runs (VJD method) 

Wicketkeeper-opener Shubham Arora's unbeaten 136 off 131 balls paved the way for Himachal Pradesh's maiden Vijay Hazare title as they beat Tamil Nadu by 11 runs via the VJD method at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Chasing 315, Himachal needed 16 from 15 balls with six wickets in hand when bad light stopped play. Earlier, Dinesh Karthik's 116 off 103 balls, studded with eight fours and seven sixes, had lifted Tamil Nadu to 314 but in the end, it didn't prove to be enough. 

Interesting ! – well played Himachal Pradesh and its captain Rishi Dhawan

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
26^th Dec 2021. 

PM Shri Narendra Modi ji addresses Nation on Covid care and Vaccination

 The dreaded Corona virus – Covid 19 is not yet a thing of the past, but it may appear that we have lowered the guard, seeing the crowds and the way people behave everywhere.  From news scrolls and breaking news, Covid statistics have all but vanished from media and more from people minds but yet, globally -  

there are 27,88,91,403 people affected – USA has the highest share 5,19,96,634 / 8,14,792 deaths; while India has 3,47,79,815 /4,79,520; Brazil 2,22,34,623/ 6,18,655; United Kingdom 1,18,91,292/1,47,857 .. .. the new cases per day present a different picture .. globally it is 747656.. .. USA 184074; United Kingdom 121371 while it is 7189 in India,  thanks to the efforts of the Govt of India and our Honble Prime Minister. 

Within the country, after Maharashtra, Kerala is showing up to be the worst managed State with numbers being :  Maharashtra 6654755/141404; Kerala 5230891/ 46203; Karnataka 3003969/ 38305; Tamil Nadu 2742821 / 36714; Andhra Pradesh 2076306 / 14488; 

As experts warned that of the Covid-19 cases related to the Omicron strain may increase if public gathered in large numbers during festivals, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin urged people to avoid crowding and follow Covid-19 protocols.  With Tamil Nadu reporting 34 cases of Omicron variant so far and considering Christmas and New Year celebrations besides the harvest festival of Pongal next month, Stalin held a meeting of medical, public health experts and top officials at the Secretariat. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Friday issued a fresh set of comprehensive guidelines following the emergence of Omicron strain of the coronavirus and said that the norms should be strictly adhered to.   

A few minutes ago, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji addressed the nation amid Omicron threat and announced vaccination for children in the age of 15-18 years will begin from January 3, 2022.  

India will start vaccinating children between the ages of 15 to 18 from January 3 next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in a sudden address to the nation tonight. Healthcare and frontline workers will be provided with "precautionary doses" from January 10 next year, he added. People above 60 years of age who have co-morbidities will also have the option to take the booster dose on a recommendation from doctors. This will also start from January 10.  

The Prime Minister said that as people prepare to welcome the new year with hope and celebration, it's also a time to be careful as the highly contagious Omicron variant is rapidly pushing up Covid infections. He appealed to the people not to panic but be careful and alert. "Use masks and wash hands regularly," he said.  PM Modi assured the citizens that all possible preparations are in order to tackle increasing infections. He listed the number of hospital beds, oxygen beds available, and vaccination progress.  

"Covid isn't past us yet. Being careful is very important," PM Modi said.  "Today, the nation has 18 lakh isolation beds, 5 lakh oxygen-supported beds, 1.4 lakh ICU beds, and 90,000 special beds for children. Today, we have over 3,000 functional PSA Oxygen plants and 4 lakh Oxygen cylinders have been provided to all states," he said.  "Apart from research on the vaccine, we were also working on approval processes, supply chains, distribution, training, IT support system, and certification. With these efforts, India started vaccinating its citizens on January 16 this year," he said. 

So don’t be panic, be cautious, be judicious, do not crowd at places .. ..

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
25.12.2021.

Boxing Day Tests ! - Scott Boland - who ! to make debut !

For the Cricket fans, Boxing day – 26^th Dec 2021 offers good action at Centurion and of course at Melbourne ! 

There had been rumours of a modern-day "El Dorado" in the folklore of the native tribes that roamed the plains of the South African highveld and in that of the gold miners who had come from all over the world to seek out their fortunes on the alluvial mines of Barberton and Pilgrim's Rest, in what is now known as the province of Mpumalanga.  .. .. and in that year 1886 that the massive wealth of the Witwatersrand would be uncovered. Scientific studies have pointed to the fact that the "Golden Arc" which stretches from Johannesburg to Welkom was once a massive inland lake, and that silt and gold deposits from alluvial gold settled in the area to form the gold-rich deposits that South Africa is famous for. 

Gauteng  is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa.   Highly urbanised, the province contains the country's largest city, Johannesburg, which is also one of the largest cities in the world. It also contains the administrative capital, Pretoria, and other large areas such as Midrand, Vanderbijlpark and the affluent Sandton.  The name Gauteng is derived from the Sotho-Tswana name, gauta meaning "gold".  There was a thriving gold industry in the province following the 1886 discovery of gold in Johannesburg. 

A few years back on 12.1.2016 at Perth, Rohit Sharma was at his usual best, rampaging Aussie bowlers to all part of the ground.  Rohit's unbeaten 171 -  surpassed Viv Richards' 153* as the highest ODI score against Australia in Australia - added to a growing library of monumental limited-overs innings, confirming his mastery of a format where if he gets through the first few overs he is able to hit through the line of the ball with something like impunity. Kohli provided ideal support after the early loss of Shikhar Dhawan.  There were 3 debutants – Barinder Sran who has not played for the Nation after 2016 and Joel Paris who played just 2 matches.  Then there was Scott Boland, who played handful of One-dayers !  

At Melbourne for the Boxing day test, to punch England out - Australia have juggled their fast-bowling pack again. Pat Cummins' is back after his enforced absence in place of Michael Neser while Scott Boland will make his debut in place of Jhye Richardson who has a leg injury. Josh Hazlewood has not recovered from his side strain. 

The news is Victoria pace bowler Scott Boland who debuted in that Onedayer at Perth in 2016 against India,  has been handed a surprise debut in the Boxing Day Test against England with Australia taking a cautious approach over a minor leg injury to Jhye Richardson.  Boland, 32, becomes the fourth Indigenous Test cricketer after Faith Thomas, Jason Gillespie and Ashleigh Gardner. He is one of two changes with Pat Cummins returning in place of Michael Neser.   Indigenous peoples, also referred to as first peoples, first nations, aboriginal peoples, native peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups who are related to the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region. 

Boland, who previously played 14 ODIs and three T20Is in 2016, has been selected as something of a home-ground specialist having taken 96 wickets at 25.56 in 27 first-class games at the MCG. This season in the Sheffield Shield he has taken 15 wickets at 10.80 which propelled him into the Australia A squad ahead of the Ashes, before he was hastily flown into Adelaide last week after Cummins' Covid close contact drama. 

Meantime, India is on a high, having played well defeating Australia in Australia and England in England are rearing to go in a year in which they had two legs of the IPL as well as a T20 World Cup to deal with. To speculate that there might be a few burnt out players in that squad wouldn't be a big stretch. They're carrying a middle order that has had no time to sort out issues they've been taking into every series this year, and contain some names who have had their share of off-field scuffles. Virat Kohli has been the centre of a media-driven joust with Sourav Ganguly over the last few weeks following his axing from ODI captaincy, and all eyes will firmly be on him when this Test begins. 

KL Rahul would walk out with Mayank Agarwal – middle order could well be Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli & Ajinkya Rahane .. .. .. but whether they deserve their places above many – more specifically Shreyas Iyer – Hanuma Vihari can be debated.  Rishab Pant seals his place getting closer to century of victims, while Ravichandran Ashwin – the lead spinner in all formats could have a settled place with 4 seamers most probably Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj edging out Ishant Sharma !!   

Tomorrow afternoon, Indian time, the match would be played at Centurion Park, the ground in   Gauteng, South Africa. It is also known as SuperSport Park since television company Supersport bought shares in the stadium. The capacity of the ground is 22,000. 

Interesting ! 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

25.12.2021.

new variety of Rose named after eminent Agricultural Scientist

This  Professor from Tamil Nadu was   acclaimed by the TIME magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of the 20th century and one of the only three from India, the other two being Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.  What is understood when you send a single Rose to someone ? 

ரோஜா  கவிஞர்களின் பூ !  சந்திரனுக்கே சவால் விடும் அளவு காதலுடன் சம்பந்தம் உள்ளது.  பூ வாடிவிடும்  சந்திரன் பிறையாக தேயும் ஆனால் காதல் என்றும் பூத்து வளர் பிறையாகும் என ஒரு கவிஞன் (வேறு யார் ??) எழுதியுள்ளான். 

இதோ இங்கே மற்றுமொரு புதிய ரோசாப்பூ !  இந்த புதிய  ரோஜா வகையானது ஊதா நிறத்துடன் ஊக்கமளிக்கும் நறுமணத்துடன் கூடிய நோய் எதிர்ப்பு சக்தி கொண்டதாகும். இந்த ரோஜா செடி 4 முதல் 5 அடி வரை வளரும். கரும் பச்சையுடன் கூடி பெரிய இலைகளுடன் இந்த செடி காணப்படும். இந்த புதிய வகை ரோஜா செடி, மற்றொரு புதிய வகை ரோஜா செடியான மோன்கொம்பு ரோஜா செடி ஆகியவற்றை புதுடெல்லியைச் சேர்ந்த மலர் வளர்ப்பு விஞ்ஞானியும், மத்திய அரசின் தோட்டக்கலைத்துறை முன்னாள் இயக்குனருமான நரேந்திர தத்லானி, சென்னையில் உள்ள எம்.எஸ்.சுவாமிநாதன் இல்லத்தில் அவரை சந்தித்து வழங்கினார். 

They are beautiful .. .. though there could be hundreds of variants, most common is a ‘Red Rose’ but can one imagine them being associated with wars and brutal killings !!   A rose is a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa, in the family Rosaceae, or the flower it bears.There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars.  They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing, or trailing, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds.  The Wars of the Roses were a series of English civil wars for control of the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival cadet branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the House of Lancaster, represented by a red rose, and the House of York, represented by a white rose. Eventually, the wars eliminated the male lines of both families. 

Today comes the news that a  new rose variety has been named after the eminent agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan.  The Rose is highly disease resistant with rich magenta purple colour with stimulating aroma. Kodaikanal-based M.S. Viraraghavan, India’s leading horticulturist and rose breeder, has bred and named it as THE M.S. SWAMINATHAN ROSE, in the honour of Prof. Swaminathan – father of India’s Green Revolution.

Prof. Swaminathan pioneered in bringing new approaches to the breeding of food crops which increased production and made India food self-sufficient. Mr. Viraraghavan bred more than 100 new varieties of roses registered in his name. THE M.S. SWAMINATHAN ROSE shrub grows up to 4-5 ft. with dark green granular surface large leaves with regular thorns. It results from a series of crosses with a ‘News’ variety of rose and other purple roses. A second new variety of rose named as “Jewel of Monkompu(JoM)” was bred by K. Sriram of Kasturirangan and Sriram, Bengaluru. 

Dr. Narendra Dadlani, Floriculture Scientist and former Director Horticulture, Govt. of India, New Delhi, handed over the two varieties to Prof. Swaminathan at his Chennai residence.  He also handed over a copy of his book – Indian Rose. “It is the first book on Indian Roses, its history and technical aspects of their development and description of Indian rose varieties” said Dr. Dadlani. (photo and excerpts from - https://www.mssrf.org/) 

The man referred at the start is Professor M S Swaminathan. He has been described by the United Nations Environment Programme as "the Father of Economic Ecology" because of his leadership of the ever-green revolution movement in agriculture and by Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General of the United Nations, as "a living legend who will go into the annals of history as a world scientist of rare distinction". He was Chairman of the UN Science Advisory Committee set up in 1980 to take follow-up action on the Vienna Plan of Action. Besides very many International posts, he served as Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (1961-72), Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (1972-79), Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture (1979-80), Acting Deputy Chairman and later Member (Science and Agriculture), Planning Commission (1980-82) and Director General, International Rice Research Institute, the Philippines (1982-88). 

A plant geneticist by training, Professor Swaminathan's contributions to the agricultural renaissance of India have led to his being widely referred to as the scientific leader of the green revolution movement. His advocacy of sustainable agriculture leading to an ever-green revolution makes him an acknowledged world leader in the field of sustainable food security.   Professor Swaminathan was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1971, the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986, the first World Food Prize in 1987, and Volvo, Tyler and UNEP Sasakawa Prize for Environment, the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development in 2000 and the Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal, the Mahatma Gandhi Prize of UNESCO in 2000 and the Lal Bahadur Sastri National Award (2007). He is the recipient of Padma Shri (1967), Padma Bhushan (1972) and Padma Vibushan (1989). 

The   beautiful rose featured here  is from my terrace !!

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
25^th Dec 2021 

Srinivas Youngmen's Association - SYMA .. .. .. at Triplicane !!

Living in holy Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam ! – how observant are you ? – many a Triplicane residents walk through the mada veethis around Sri Parthasarathi swami temple daily.  There is Barathiyar illam, Gangaikondan mandapam (colloquially Gangana mantapam / and vegetable market) – kulakkarai and more .. .  .. ..  a couple of decades  ago ! on Fridays would spring up posters of new release films – now more than the posters, it is the flex-boards – did you observe these boards at Gangaikondan, opp to Barathiyar illam and at South tank Square street ? – it is an era where even free service requires some advertisement to reach common public !! 

Srinivas Youngmen’s Association (popularly SYMA)  has been doing service to the society ever since 1977.  Their services spread to various lines such as civic welfare, medicine, health, environment, education, personality development more.  The medical services and laboratory which remained closed during Covid 19 are open to public now.  We at SYMA, feel strongly the primary responsibility of improving the Society and helping the underprivileged.  

Years ago on 14.8.1977, SYMA was formally inaugurated by the then Honble Minister for Social welfare Ms PT Saraswathi, Sri N Krishnaswamy Reddiyar beign the Chief Guest.   SYMA has marched a long way since ! – entering its 45th year.  Sunday, 4th of  August, 2019  would ever remain  a gold letter day in the annals of SYMA history. We have been dreaming of expanding ~ and the foremost impediment in realizing our endeavour was perhaps lack of space. On that day SYMA moved to sprawling premises at 37 Car Street, Triplicane, Chennai 5 from  a 270 SFT  premises approx  at 29 TP Koil Street,   Opp to Bharathiyar  Illam.     

In a few months – the visibility grew bigger and so did the activities – the Rs.2 Medical centre started attracting more patients and then came the dreaded Corona Covid19. Presently,  We have : Medical centre, Blood analysis lab (test results from Neuberg Ehlrich),  Ultrasound Scanning facility, Gynecological consultation, Physiotherapy, Eye clinic – all under one roof – added to that  private Doctors providing treatment at our premises.     

1) Medical Centre and Laboratory run for the poor wherein free consultation and medicines are provided – popularly known as ரெண்டு ரூவா மருத்துவமனை [Rs. 2 hospital !] This functions between 5 – 7 pm on all days except Sundays and National holidays. Consultation is free and medicines too – provided through a specified Medical shop with whom we have working arrangement. Around 40 – 50 people utilize this daily. We also have a Medical lab wherein blood and other tests are done at very nominal costs. The running of Medical Centre and Lab costs around Rs.45000/- per month.  The recently added Scan facility offers various scans at an inaugural offer of Rs.650/-  

2) SYMA Growth – a purposeful special tuition centre for coaching poor students of 10th and 12th standards.  Into its 14^th  year now, this was inaugurated in  2008 and producing good results year after year, changing the lives of poor children.  The academic year 2020-21 was impacted by Covid and this year we have restarted with pooja on Dec 1, 2021. 

Through this project we aim to provide quality educational support to students who would otherwise will have no opportunity to such quality education. Education is imparted through qualified senior teaching professionals who are paid nominal fees by us. Classes are conducted on all days of the week. We have created an excellent infrastructure and have dedicated staff for this. The classes are conducted at the premises of National Boys High School, Triplicane for which we pay a nominal rent and some amount towards electricity and other expenses. This year we have 1 class for X Std English medium, +2 Science and +2 Commerce group.  

Besides other activities, we have been providing more than 1000 sets of uniforms to school children every year for close to 3 decades now – last year due to schools not functioning, this was not done.  This year too with schools not fully reopening, this has not been done.  

Generally, we collect funds in the months of  July & ahead coinciding with our Educational Aid Programme, though donations are welcome throughout the year. You have patronized us in a big way in the past, and we look forward to receiving your donations this year too. Cheques are to be drawn in the name of  ‘SRINIVAS YOUNGMENS ASSOCIATION’  (or simply SYMA)– payable at Chennai. In case any donor wishes to make a Bank transfer, we will provide details of our Bank A/c on request. Contributions to SYMA are eligible for deduction under Sec 80G (5) (vi) of Income Tax Act, as applicable. 

Thank you for the support – do have a look at the banners that describe our activities.  Please share this with your friends and in social media ensuring that more people are benefitted by our philanthropic schemes.  We appreciate the efforts of all our Office bearers – more specifically TJ Ramani & SR Parthasarathi for the - concept, printing and display of these banners at strategic locations.

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
Vice-President (SYMA)
22^nd Dec 2021.